Excerpts from the Paper

The beginning:

A Contrast and Comparison Analysis of the Realism Versus Abstraction, Composition, Color, and Human Element in Bartolomeus van der Helst’s “Portrait of a Burgomaster, Jacobus Trip” (1660) and the “Imperial Portrait of Prince Duo Lo” (1775)
This formal art study will compare and contrast the four visual aspects of realism versus abstraction, composition, color, and the human element in Bartolomeus van der Helst’s “Portrait of a Burgomaster, Jacobus Trip” (1660) and the “Imperial Portrait of Prince Duo Lo” (1775). By observing the greater realism in Helst’s depiction of Jacobus Trip, Prince Duo Lo resents as two-dimensional style of portraiture regarding his imperial status as a god-like prince. The colors of these two works are very similar...

The end:

.....by far, a more personal and detailed way to show human frailty and the expressions that define a person as being “human”, rather than the highly ornate two-dimensional style of painting that is meant to express a supernatural or grandiose power in the Prince Duo LO portrait. Certainly, this painting is meant to show the power of the prince versus the far more realistic depicting of the human personae of Jacobus Trip. In this way, the two paintings provide contrasting human elements, which reveal the western focus on realism and classicism in portrait painting that define Helst’s desire to depict a powerful and aging public dignitary, yet without the abstracted and often mythic god-like appearance of the prince in the Asian style of the era.